Misread Prophecy
AUTHOR: Abigail
SUMMARY: What if the 'chosen one' wasn't Anakin Skywalker? What if the Jedi Council realized their mistake too late?
CHAPTER 11: Separation
RATING: T
DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything that was created by George Lucas.
NOTE: Hope you like this. Please review.
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Hello darkness, my old friend,
I've come to talk with you again.
Because a vision softly creeping,
left its seeds while I was sleeping,
and the vision that was planted in my brain
still remains.
Within the sound of silence.
-Paul Simon
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Yoda rapped the wall with his gimmer stick upon entering Padme's room in the Medical Center.
"Hello Master Yoda," Anakin said quietly, gently placing Luke into his crib. The baby rolled over, still asleep. Anakin stroked his hair silently, watching Yoda hobble next to the crib. He stopped short of the circular glass tube, closing his eyes. Anakin tried to shield his face away, realizing that both Obi-Wan and Yoda knew about the secret that Padme and he had strived so hard to keep hidden from the world.
"The force is strong with the child..." Yoda said slowly, his wrinkled hand pressing against the glass. "An asset to the new Republic he will be," the Jedi Master added, looking up at Anakin's bewildered face.
"The new Republic?" Anakin asked dubiously. Yoda turned his head down towards the ground, his eyes closed again.
"Clouded the future is. Hidden by the Dark Side still, it is..." Yoda said slowly. "Possible the rise of a new Republic could be..." Anakin's gaze left the Jedi Master and turned to Padme's sleeping form. He watched her, taking in her presence. Questions still formed in his mind about what had happened...but he knew that was all over.
"Question Padme, you do?" Yoda asked, his attention suddenly focused on Anakin's stern face. Anakin didn't answer as he continued to stare at Padme. "A wonderful thing, Motherhood is..."Yoda stated, looking up at Anakin still. "Prevents many things, the love of a Mother can," he added, grasping Anakin's full awareness.
"What do you mean, Master?" Anakin asked, hoping to find the answers to what had kept him awake the night before.
"Eager you are to understand what happened..." Yoda said, a smirk spreading across his face, laughing at Anakin's impatience. Anakin turned away, his pensive gaze reflecting on Padme once more. Yoda's smile died away, as he continued.
"Seduced by the Sith Lord, she was. But her path down the Dark side, obstructed...by the birth of her child. Responded powerfully to the Force of Luke and Leia, she did..." Yoda added thoughtfully.
"But Chancellor Palp – I mean, the Sith Lord...he's still alive, isn't he?" Anakin asked, a sudden fear creeping into his voice at the revelation. Yoda slowly nodded, his brooding eyes blinking slowly.
"Go into exile, we must...meditate on the Force, we all shall..." Yoda said as he slowly walked away from Luke's crib. "Once awake, tell your wife, you must. I will go now," Yoda said, walking through the open door, followed by a hiss as it shut behind him. Yoda was met by Obi-Wan, who was waiting patiently outside of the door.
"The younglings?" Yoda asked, as he walked with Obi-Wan towards the window of Padme's room.
"They were fine. Most of them are awake now..."Obi-Wan replied, running his hand through his hair. "How are Anakin and Padme doing?" he then asked, looking into the window. Anakin had just woken Padme up and appeared to be telling her something.
"Until the time is right, disappear they must," Yoda said, vaguely answering Obi-Wan's pressing question. Obi-Wan's eyes narrowed, as he continued to look through the window, watching Anakin and Padme talk.
"I still believe that Anakin is the chosen one. When will he defeat Darth Siddious if he and Padme are in exile?" Obi-Wan inquired, his gaze moving over to Yoda's meditative face. Yoda's hand raked over his sparsely covered head as he thought about this.
"No answers are there, for these questions you seek, Obi-Wan...Patience, we must have, when dealing with the Force," he added. Obi-Wan sighed, then slowly walked over to the door that began to hiss open. Anakin walked through first, in his arms the swaddled form of Luke, followed by Padme, who held Leia in her arms.
"Are you ready?" he asked, noticing the sullen look on Padme's face. Padme quickly turned to Anakin who smiled and nodded.
"Yes, Master..." Anakin said, protectively pulling Luke closer to him.
"Good," Yoda mumbled. "A Jedi Gunship, we will take. Less suspicious than Padme's Naboo Skiff..." he said, as he started to walk down the hallway. The rest of them followed, Padme trailing after as she looked behind her back at the operating theater that she had given birth in. She could sense a presence, and felt it trickle up her spine like cold water, awakening every pore in her body. Padme stopped in her tracks, staring into the dark and deserted operating theater, a feeling of horror washing over her.
"What's wrong?" Anakin asked, noticing that Padme was no longer walking next to him. The others stopped and watched as Padme slowly turned to face them. "Where are we going to hide, Master Yoda?" she whispered, the terrifying presence still lingering in the empty room.
"Split up you and the children, we decided. Harder for Darth Siddious to find you, it will be..." Yoda said pensively, watching the look of fear dissolve from her face. She finally left, walking quickly until she was standing next to Anakin once more.
"What did you see back there, Padme?" he asked, his voice full of concern. She looked down at Leia, who was still fast asleep.
"I could feel him...He knows I'm here..." she said, her eyes looking back up at Anakin's. "You have to promise me something," she added shortly after, her eyes pleading with him. "Promise me that you'll never let anything happen to Luke or Leia. I can't bear the thought of losing them..." she murmured, her eyes drifting to Luke's sweetly sound asleep face.
"I won't Padme. Nothing will happen to them...I promise you that," he said, his eyes searching hers. He leaned down and kissed her cheek, inhaling her intoxicating scent. His eyes continued to stare deep into hers. Anakin always loved the feeling that it gave him...as if he were falling into an endless pool of love. Padme smiled at him, as they stepped outside onto a loading platform.
They were presented with the horrifying view of Coruscant. The once beautiful Capital of the Republic was shattered...the skyline no longer displaying beautiful towering buildings, but charred remnants of what used to be. Smoke still trickled up into the hazy sky, disappearing into the atmosphere.
"Hurry, we must...Come," Yoda said quickly, making his way to the Jedi Gunship and crowd of animated younglings that were awaiting them on the platform of the Medical Center. As they walked up the ramp, Padme noticed that the only building that appeared to be left untarnished by the war was the Senate Building...she gazed at it. Her body was again feeling the sense of Siddious nearby.
"Don't look back, Padme..."Anakin whispered, his face close to Padme's. She nodded, her eyes still staring at the fully intact building, forcing herself to disappear inside the ship, with Anakin following close behind. The thrusters quickly started and soon they were blasting through Coruscant's atmosphere, heading in the direction of Alderaan.
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"We would be honored to watch over her," Bail Organa said, as he walked with Anakin and Padme. "You'll find no safer place for your daughter to live for the next year than here in the Palace on Alderaan. She'll receive all the love and care she needs, there is no doubt about that. Besides, my wife has always talked of having a daughter...I'm sure she won't mind!" Anakin laughed at this, wrapping his arm gently around Padme's waist. She looked up at him, laughing also, but a sadness in her eyes.
"Bail says that we will be able to see Leia everyday through hologram, Padme," Anakin added, hoping that Padme would see the lighter side of the situation. Bail Organa nodded, as he led the way to a balcony that overlooked that magnificent mountains that protected the beautiful city.
"You can be assured Padme that Leia will be safe here," the man said, his hand resting against the railing as he overlooked the countryside. Padme nodded and watched as Anakin handed Leia over to Bail. He gently placed her in his arms, cradling her gently. "What a beautiful child...she certainly gets her attributes from her Mother..." Bail looked up at Padme, who couldn't help but laugh.
After exchanging a tearful goodbye, Anakin and Padme walked back through the large hallway out into the hangar where Obi-Wan and Yoda waited.
"I sense that you were able to let go of Leia, Padme...That must have been very hard for you," Obi-Wan said astutely, placing a hand on her shoulder. A tear slipped down Padme's face as she tried to smile.
"Yes, it was..." she replied quietly. Padme knew all too well that Leia would be safe there in Alderaan, yet she couldn't help but wonder about the power of the Sith Lord...and what type of influence he still had over Padme's mind. She shook the thought from her head as she looked back one more time, her eyes scanning the beautiful Palace of Bail and his wife.
"We should leave quickly, before our presence here is detected," Anakin said, grabbing Padme's hand and pulling her gently towards the Gunship.
"Where will we be taking Luke?" she asked, wondering what other personal ties she had that could still be trusted. Yoda stopped and turned around to face her and Anakin.
"Best we feel, if with his family, young Luke stays..." Yoda grinned, tapping his gimmer stick against the ramp as if he were inviting them in. Padme was puzzled as she turned to Anakin, whose face slowly fell.
"To Tatooine?" Anakin asked, his voice low and shallow. Yoda nodded, while Obi-Wan quickly disappeared up the ramp, not wanting to hear the argument that he felt was going to erupt between the two Masters. "How will that be safe? With bounty hunters everywhere it wouldn't be long until he was snatched up by the Empire?" Anakin retorted, anger rising in his voice. But Padme slowly grabbed his arm, turning his face towards her.
"No, Anakin. He will be safe there. Obi-Wan will go with him..." Padme said softly, her eyes darting to the ramp where Obi-Wan had stopped walking. He turned to her, a look of question floating over his face.
"Master Yoda, this was not part of the original..." Obi-Wan started.
"This is what I want!" Padme interrupted. "Luke will be safe if you are there Obi-Wan...I trust you..." she said awkwardly, realizing it was the first time she hadn't referred to him as 'Master'. Obi-Wan looked to Yoda, who nodded slowly.
"Stay with Luke, you will Obi-Wan. Besides, training I have for you..." Yoda said, his pensive face scrutinizing Obi-Wan's confused one.
"Training?" Obi-Wan inquired, walking down the ramp.
"An old friend has learned the path to immortality...One who had returned from the never world of the Force to train me. Your old master, Qui-Gon..." Yoda said, watching the disbelief spread across both the faces of Anakin and Obi-Wan. "How to commune with him, I will teach you, Obi-Wan," the Jedi Knight added. He then traveled up the ramp, his stick clicking loudly against it. Obi-Wan quickly followed, eager to hear more of what Yoda had learned.
Padme sighed, letting herself fall into Anakin's embrace as soon as the two men disappeared into the ship. "I hope they will be safe..." she whispered into his chest, letting him caress her arms.
"There's nothing to fear, Padme. You must stay strong with the Force..." he said, letting his fingers entangle themselves in her hair. They drew apart and went up the ramp, preparing to venture on to Tatooine.
After what felt like an eternity to heartbroken Padme, they arrived on Tatooine. Padme was almost hysterical, as she clung to Luke inside the ship, cradling him close to her as tears fell from her weeping eyes. She chose to let Anakin take Luke and Obi-Wan to his family, knowing that she would be too emotionally shattered to watch Luke leave her.
Padme walked down the ramp with them, the brutal wind meeting her face as she stepped out onto the dry sand of the desert land. "Goodbye, Master. May the Force be with you," she spoke softly. Obi-Wan turned around, his sympathetic face meeting her eyes with sincerity. "May the Force be with you always, Padme. Until we meet again, goodbye..."
Anakin and Obi-Wan continued into the town, two figures clad in their Jedi robes, one holding a newborn infant. She continued to watch, as their bodies shrank in the distance, the wind fiercely whipping her hair about her face. Tears ran down her face, only wetting her face for seconds, until the vicious wind dried them for her.
Besides the candid protests of Yoda, Padme remained outside the ship, waiting for Anakin. By the time he returned, Padme had already watched both of the suns set, as the wind died down into an eerie calm. She ran to Anakin, throwing herself into his arms. "Was he all right? What did they tell you? He'll be safe, won't he? Is Obi-Wan staying nearby?" The questions bubbled out of her mouth like an overflowing cup, but Anakin silenced her with a passionate kiss.
"Come...Yoda is waiting..." he said afterward, threading his arm around her waist as they walked towards the ship. Darkness fell over the town and on a distant moisture farm, a wife and husband embraced their new nephew...